Ghost Attack

Monster Itch #1

by David Lubar, Karl West (Illustrator)

This was one monster of an itch . . .

When Alex and his cousin Sarah are visiting their grandparents, Alex gets terrible red, itchy hives. Yikes! He's allergic to a ghost! Even worse, the ghost won't leave him alone -- he wants Alex and Sarah's help. Can they solve the ghost's mystery and get rid of Alex's awful rash before it ruins everything?

Genres: Mystery, Juvenile, Fantasy, Ghosts, Halloween, Childrens, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2017

About the author

David Lubar created a sensation with his debut novel, Hidden Talents, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Thousands of kids and educators across the country have voted Hidden Talents onto over twenty state lists. David is also the author of True Talents, the sequel to Hidden Talents; Flip, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a VOYA Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror selection; several short story collections: In the Land of the Lawn Weenies, Invasion of the Road Weenies, The Curse of the Campfire Weenies, The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, and Attack of the Vampire Weenies; and the Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie series. Lubar grew up in Morristown, New Jersey, and he has also lived in New Brunswick, Edison and Piscataway, NJ, and Sacramento, CA. Besides writing, he has also worked as a video game programmer and designer. He now lives in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidl...

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, not scary, ghost story for young readers (Gr 1-3). Fast paced, short book that I liked and will recommend.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basic story, not at all scary with the ghost in it. Two kids solve a mystery, clear beginning, middle, and end, nothing spectacular. Good for early chapter book readers.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Review of digital arc from EdelweissPlus) This new David Lubar series will be just the right thing for those 3rd-5th grade students who want to read a ghost story, but don't really want to be scared. The font, spacing and easy flowing sentences make this series particularly useful for the reluctant to read crowd. As for the story, book 1 is definitely more of a mystery than a ghost story and provides an introduction to Alex and Sarah who, I believe, will be the protagonists throughout this series. The cousins behave more like siblings and come across as very likable and typical upper elementary school students, but with Alex having one trait that makes him stand out--he breaks into a rash whenever ghosts are near. And the nearer the ghosts are, the worse the rash gets. That's a problem when your grandparents live in a house haunted by ghost done wrong in life and you are sent to stay there for a week. If I buy this series for my library, it will likely be read by those who enjoy Lubar's Looniverse series and less by those who are fans of his "Weenies" scary story collection books.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had an ARC from work, but the book is out now. I took a while before picking it up to actually read.

I think that the concept is really neat, and it is sort of why the book got a four star rating instead of a three star rating from me.

SPOILER: But not really, because the title claims it, I enjoy that the protagonist has an itch when he is close to monsters. I thought it was an interesting way for Alex to interact with the ghost in the story. It is a cool tool for his junior detective antics.

I am interested to see how the concept is continued. The story doesn't honestly have that much depth to it, and it is mostly just a fun little book for kids aged 6 to 8. I can kind of see that the author and publisher see the books in that light as well, because they have planned it as an ongoing series.

[AMY · Rating 4 out of 5]

111 pages. Good basic story about two kids spending a week with grandparents who recently moved into a new home that supposedly has a ghost. Unusual things start happening soon after the kids arrive. Alex and his cousin Sarah are keen for a ghost adventure. However, Alex develops an allergy to ghosts and has a unusual rash pop up every time they are close to the ghost's presence. They have great fun and it has a nice ending. I think kids in grades 4-5 would enjoy this series. It is not too long and fun, fast moving plot. There are more in the series...so I am going to have to find those next. Loved this one! Bravo!

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Lubar is known for his often wacky and offbeat sense of humor in books like Attack of the Vampire Weenies or Beware the Ninja Weenies. This time he has chapter book perfect for middle grade readers who want fun with a little ghostly action and not too many pages. Monster Itch: Ghost Attack tells the story of Alex and his cousin Sarah as they visit their grandparents' new home. Alex's mom is a doctor, so she is extra careful of his health, but even she could never have imagined that Alex would develop allergies during his visit - allergies to ghosts!

I have weekly allergy shots, so I know what living with allergies can be like. But poor Alex has it much worse than I do. When the ghost comes near him the symptoms begin, and before long his arms are "bathed in an itch so fierce it felt like I'd tried to embrace a bonfire." As it turns out, the ghost has a mystery that he needs help solving before he can rest in peace, so he has chosen Alex and Sarah to help find the truth. Their explorations take them around the house, into the barn, and even into town to visit the historical society. Can two kids really solve a bank robbery that happened long before they were born?

Along with the humor and haunting, there are also some lessons to be learned about making assumptions and judging someone before you know all the facts. A quick, fun read.

[Florence Migga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this book was simply adorable! I loved that it was a little mystery and ghost story rolled into one. The plot was really well done. Even though this was a children's book, it was still a very sophisticated story. It was long enough to really tell a full, good tale -- but short enough to hold a child's attention. I would definitely recommend this one for your children...as long as they're not afraid of ghosts!

See this review on Book Nerds Across America: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com...

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite cute and I enjoyed it. It was a simple ghost mystery story with a good plot. It had a good pace and I liked how the characters developed somewhat as the story progressed. The illustrations were cute and it was a pretty easy read. It would make a good early chapter book for kids.
The ending was quite satisfactory, I think this would be worthy or recommending, I just don't know if I enjoyed it enough to continue the series, which is what brings it down to 3.5 stars for me personally. I am leaving the rating at 4 stars because I could imagine kids reading further in the series.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this short tale. Again, another series for young readers to jump on. I thought it was engaging and somewhat funny at times.

A young boy who breaks out in a rash every time a ghost is around spends his time trying to solve the mystery...and get rid of the rash.

QUICK read...took only about 30 minutes for an adult. Great starter series. Highly recommend.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best of the Sunshine State Young Readers options. One mission of the award is to provide readers with some challenging reads and some easier reads, and this falls firmly in the later category. Since both of my young readers are pretty active readers, we have had much better experiences reading the selections for SSYRA 6th through 8th grade.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever story combining a mystery and ghosts. How can you go wrong for some of our mid-elementary readers?
Lubar shares the light side of ghosts and brings out the humor in this setting.
Looking forward to reading the next in this series.

[Angelika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great choice for the k-3 book discussion for a October read. As a mystery and a ghost story, 2 cousins get to explore their grandparents new house and help a ghost get justice. The Itch happens whenever Alex gets too close to the ghost, which is how the ghost communicates with him.

[Dione · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy and his cousin visit his grandparent's new house which has a ghost. The boy has severe allergies, which are triggered when he is near the ghost. They help clear the ghost's name and solve the town's mystery too. A really quick read, cute, but not amazing. Might be good for third graders.

[Sara Truog · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kid breaks out in hives whenever he encounters a ghost.
Dumb and forgettable, but I'm sure it will find an audience :)

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute book! Loved all the characters and the writing was very engaging. Also love the fact that it was a mystery. Highly recommended.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dexter (9yo) read.

[Sherry Guice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and easy...a good book for struggling readers and/or those beginning to read chapter books.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but much simpler than the other SSYRA books I’ve read.
Good for kiddos who like fantasy and ghosts, but not very scary.
Boy and girl cousins, but no diversity.

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book

This was such a great little story that I read with my son and daughter. They enjoyed it a lot.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are weird. The story is entertaining and well written.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a good amount of humor, a ghost with a problem, and a mystery to solve. I loved it!

[Jennifer Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute chapter book. I really liked it.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

Momma says: I thought this was a really cute story and I am looking forward to the next one. Even though it’s kind of weird that the kid breaks out in hives whenever the ghost is nearby, the story was interesting and I liked how they helped to clear Joshua‘s name. One thing I thought about that kids won’t is that Joshua‘s remains are still somewhere out in the woods or the cave and he hasn’t had a proper burial. However, I can see why the author would not have included anything about that even though his skeleton was discussed by the cousins.

Eleanor says: I think this book was really interesting. I’m glad my mom isn’t allergic to ghosts otherwise she couldn’t have gone to a couple haunted hotels. My favorite part of the story was when they helped Joshua Thistle’s ghost.